Smoking Battery !!!

[BostonShovel]

Hey Guys

My 2005 Big Bear is smoking batteries.
The powertrain is based on a 1999 Harley Evo with a 32 amp charging system.

I was out and about for a short ride the other day, when I started to smell something weird; kind of a sweet smell, by the time a got back there was smoke jetting out of both sides of my 1 year Deka AGM battery and the case was too hot to touch.

The vendor replaced the battery, but the same thing happened yesterday.

I haven't begun to troubleshoot, but i'm thinking the regulator is over charging the battery.

Any ideas on how to find the root cause.

Thank you

[golfish]

Originally Posted by BostonShovel

Hey Guys

My 2005 Big Bear is smoking batteries.
The powertrain is based on a 1999 Harley Evo with a 32 amp charging system.

I was out and about for a short ride the other day, when I started to smell something weird; kind of a sweet smell, by the time a got back there was smoke jetting out of both sides of my 1 year Deka AGM battery and the case was too hot to touch.

The vendor replaced the battery, but the same thing happened yesterday.

I haven't begun to troubleshoot, but i'm thinking the regulator is over charging the battery.

Any ideas on how to find the root cause.

Thank you

Have you put a meter on the battery while it's running to see what the voltage is ?

[BostonShovel]

Put my voltmeter on the battery terminals.
At idle it is 14 Volts
As I rev it it climbs to to 16+ v

I'm guessing my regulator is not regulating, time for a new one

Thank you for the input

[EdCase]

Make sure the regulator has a good earth.
Try running the earth direct to the battery.
I've seen this on Honda CBR900's many times in the past (It's a common fault on the Mk1 CBR's).